Vehicles with inflatable tires such as passenger cars, light and heavy duty trucks, tractor trailers, buses, commercial delivery vehicles, among other motorized forms of transportation and trailers pulled by such vehicles are conventionally equipped with spare tires. Some spare tires are stored under the vehicle using a tire carrier which includes a tire winch for raising and lowering the spare tire between a raised or stored position and a lowered or accessed position. The winch typically raises and lowers the spare tire using a flexible member such as a cable or cord which is wound and unwound on a spool or reel. A secondary latch is often provided to secure the spare tire in the stored position. If the flexible member or winch fails while the spare tire is in the stored position, the secondary latch ensures that the spare tire remains in the stored position.
Various powered tire carriers have been proposed for storing spare tires beneath a motor vehicle. See for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,613,273, 5,368,280, 5,791,859, the disclosures of which are expressly incorporated herein in their entireties by reference.
While these prior tire carriers may adequately stow spare tires beneath motor vehicles under ordinary circumstances, several problems can arise. For example, the spare tire may not be properly located in the stowed position and it is difficult for the operator to see the problem because the spare tire is located beneath the motor vehicle. Additionally, even if the spare tire is properly stowed, the position of the spare tire can change over time such as, for example, due to cable stretching and it is difficult for the operator to see the problem since the spare tire is located below the motor vehicle. Furthermore, the condition of the spare tire itself can change over time such as, for example, loosing inflation and it is difficult for the operator to see the problem since the spare tire is located below the vehicle. Accordingly, there is a need form an improved tire carrier assembly.